The Akwa Ibom State Police Command has arrested a manager of Mbiokporo Cemetery in Uyo, Elijah Edet, and one Nsikak Effiong for exhuming a freshly buried corpse and stealing the casket.
The spokesperson for the command, Timfon John, disclosed this in a statement on Thursday, August 6, 2026.
According to the PPRO, the incident was uncovered on August 3 after a vigilant resident spotted two men transporting a casket on an unregistered motorcycle at night.
In an attempt to evade arrest, one of the suspects, identified as Effiong Asuquo, fled the scene, while his accomplice, Nsikak Effiong, was apprehended and immediately handed over to the police.
Effiong confessed that he and an accomplice, Asuquo, dug up the grave, removed the corpse, and stole the casket to sell it.
The stolen casket and motorcycle were recovered, while further investigations led to the arrest of cemetery manager Elijah Matthew Edet, who allegedly admitted to conspiring with the grave diggers.
